The Top 6 Online Business Brokers and Marketplaces: Which One Is Right for You?

If you’re currently looking to buy or sell an online business, the first hurdle you’ll need to clear is finding the right marketplace or partnering with the right broker. And while it would be nice to provide a simple “here’s the best broker” answer, the reality is that there is no single best broker.

Ultimately, the best online business broker or marketplace for you will come down to multiple factors that change with your needs, such as what niche the business is in. For example, if you’re attempting to buy or sell an online SEO agency, the best business broker for you is likely very different to someone in the SaaS space.

The same will also apply based on what end of the market you’re in. If you’re looking to buy or sell a business for, let’s say, $10k, then your needs will be different to someone looking for a multimillion-dollar transaction.

With that said, there are still some clear leaders in the online business brokers and marketplaces world. So with all of the above in mind, we assembled this top 6 list with the intention of giving you a brief overview of the relative strengths and weaknesses each platform brings.

In each overview, we will provide some key points that will help you narrow down the right online business brokers or marketplace for you, such as the range of deal sizes they typically handle, the monetizations (SaaS, affiliate, eCommerce, etc.) they deal in, and the pool of buyers they bring to the table.

Use this information to narrow down the right online business brokers or marketplaces for you.

Online Business Brokers – Top 6 Reviewed

Empire Flippers

Overview

Site: empireflippers.com

Deal Range: ~$50k+

Empire Flippers is the largest online business brokerage marketplaces for vetted business listings. It delivers a proven track record of successfully-closed deals, a huge pool of potential buyers, and an end-to-end online business brokers service that covers everything from start to finish.

• For Sellers: Empire Flippers’ comprehensive suite of services helps business owners get the best possible price. However, their strict vetting criteria mean only about 10% of online businesses will qualify for listing on Empire Flippers.
• For buyers: As Empire Flippers’ strict vetting excludes 90% of online businesses, buyers can rest assured that they’re getting a high-quality deal flow from verified businesses, which helps reduce the due diligence burden.

Monetizations

• Affiliate Websites
• Amazon Associates
• Amazon FBA
• Amazon FBM
• Amazon KDP
• Amazon Merch
• Digital Products
• Dropshipping
• eCommerce
• Info Products
• Mobile Apps
• SaaS
• Subscription Boxes

Key Points

• Buyer pool: As one of the largest online business broker marketplaces and with an active email list of over 100,000 potential buyers, Empire Flippers can match business buyers and sellers fast.
• Track record: Empire Flippers have successfully brokered thousands of online business deals totaling over $400+ million to date.
• Deal process: Empire Flippers’ “Done For You” process handles online business deals end-to-end. The streamlined process handles everything from initial business vetting to the final transfer of assets and business handover.
• Fees: A single percentage-based commission structure with no listing fees. Empire Flippers’ commission rates range between 2.5-15%, depending on deal size.

Website Properties

Overview

Site: websiteproperties.com  

Deal Range: $100k+

A veteran in the eCommerce and SaaS space, Website Properties is run by experienced online business brokers who have all bought, sold, and started their own businesses. The platform also offers a domain name brokerage service for buyers and sellers of high-value domain names.

• For sellers: Website Properties’ main advantage is its extensive list of pre-qualified buyers. Before engaging with a buyer, Website Properties conducts extensive liquidity and background checks. This helps it achieve its 90% closing rate.
• For sellers: Website Properties delivers a curated network of quality online business opportunities. While Website Properties doesn’t offer a high volume of deal flow, the quality of its listings will set it apart for serious buyers.

Monetizations

• Affiliate Websites
• Amazon Associates
• Amazon FBA
• Amazon FBM
• Amazon KDP
• Dropshipping
• eCommerce
• SaaS

Key Points

• Buyer pool: An extensive list of pre-qualified buyers with an extensive business background and liquidity check performed prior to engagement.
• Track record: A solid track record built over the course of hundreds of successful deals worth over $500M to date. 
• Deal process: Website Properties provides a comprehensive online business broker service with its six-step process that handles everything from preparing the prospectus ahead of listing through to due diligence and deal closing.
• Fees: With zero upfront listing fees, Website Properties works on a commission basis. The final commission rate will be determined according to the value of the business.

Flippa

Overview

Site: flippa.com

Deal Range: $1+

When it comes to buying and selling online businesses, Flippa is the household name that, in terms of sheer size, beats all other platforms hands down. And with listings starting at $1, it’s also one of the only places for buyers and sellers at the low end of the market to go. With that said, its scale does mean the experience is closer to a consumer-focused eCommerce platform than a bespoke online business brokerage service.

• For sellers: With no minimum valuation requirements and minimal vetting requirements, Flippa is the ideal place for small website owners looking to offload their business. However, its high “success fee” for sales through its online business brokerage means it’s less competitive than other platforms once valuations start getting into 7-figure territory.
• For buyers: For sheer diversity, it’s hard to beat Flippa. It’s also one of the only places to go to find cheap businesses that cost next to nothing, making it ideal for buyers at the low end of the market. However, buyers looking for high-value deal flow and/or end-to-end online business brokerage might find better service elsewhere.

Monetization

• Affiliate Websites
• Amazon Associates
• Amazon FBA
• Amazon FBM
• Amazon KDP
• Amazon Merch
• Digital Products
• Dropshipping
• eCommerce
• Info Products
• Mobile Apps
• SaaS
• Subscription Boxes

Key Points

• Buyer pool: Flippa delivers sellers with a massive pool of buyers (600k searches per month) at all price ranges. However, don’t go looking for buyer outreach or any of the other services available at more bespoke brokerages.
• Track record: In the past, Flippa had a reputation for being riddled with low-quality or outright scam listings. While this problem still plagues the platform today (it only performs minimal seller screening), it has worked hard to clean up its reputation and has now been the platform where hundreds of thousands of mostly-successful transactions have taken place.
• Deal process: The base Flippa service is little more than an online marketplace, leaving buyers and sellers largely to their own devices when it comes to valuations, due diligence, and generally negotiating a deal. With that said, it does offer add-on services, and an online business brokerage service is available.
• Fees: Filppa charges an upfront listing fee between $49-599. Higher listing fees give sellers additional exposure (boosted search position, homepage spotlight, newsletter promotion, etc.). On top of the base listing fee, Flippa also charges a “success fee” on non-brokered deals, which ranges from 4-10% of the sale price, depending on deal size. For its online business brokerage deals, this success fee is 15% for any deal under $10M. The rate in its VIP Program (deals worth over $10M) is negotiable.

Quiet Light

Overview

Site: quietlight.com

Deal Range: $1M+

Quiet Light is a highly-selective online business brokerage that specializes in high-value, 7-figure plus online business deals. It comes with a proven track record of over 600 successfully-closed deals totaling $300m in value and lives by the mantra “relentless honesty.”

• For sellers: For sellers whose businesses are valued at $1M+, Quite Light provides a comprehensive service to help them prepare their businesses for sale and get the best possible price.
• For buyers: Quiet Light runs a focused marketplace free from the noise of the bigger platforms. Additionally, they are one of the few brokers who identify which businesses qualify for SBA loans.

Monetizations

• Affiliate Websites
• Amazon FBA
• Dropshipping
• eCommerce
• SaaS

Key Points

• Buyer pool: Quiet Light maintains a large database of hot leads and actively reaches out to potential buyers. This results in most businesses selling in less than 90 days.
• Track record: A combined deal value of over $300m across hundreds of successfully-closed deals.
• Deal process: Quiet Light is actively involved from A-Z, starting with initial valuation calls through to handling the documents for a successful closing.
• Fees: A single percentage-based commission structure with zero listing fees. Quiet Light commission rates range between 3-10%, depending on deal size.

Acquisitions Direct

Overview

Site: acquisitionsdirect.com

Deal Range: $100k+

Acquisitions Direct provides a bespoke online business brokerage service tailored to e-commerce and SaaS businesses. They are run by a knowledgeable and experienced broker team with deep, vertical-specific knowledge that’s hard to find elsewhere.

• For sellers: Unlike the broad do-it-all marketplaces, Acquisitions Direct connects sellers directly to a targeted network of buyers specifically interested in eCommerce and SaaS businesses, ensuring a high closing rate (92% in 2022). They also off a speedy valuation turnaround of 24 hours or less.
• For buyers: As with sellers, buyers benefit from a focused marketplace that specializes in eCommerce and SaaS businesses. This cuts out the noise of other platforms, ensuring buyers only have to screen businesses that are likely to interest them.

Monetizations

• Amazon FBA
• eCommerce
• SaaS

Key Points

• Buyer pool: Acquisitions Direct maintains a highly-targeted database of over 15,000 buyers looking specifically for SaaS and eCommerce businesses.
• Track record: A solid track record built over the course of hundreds of successful deals worth over $500M to date. 
• Deal process: Acquisitions Direct provide a comprehensive 10-step online business brokerage process that covers everything from due diligence and buyer qualification through to closing and transition support.
• Fees: Acquisitions Direct work on a performance-based commission basis. As such, there are no upfront fees. Details on commission rates are not made public.

Website Closers

Overview

Site: websiteclosers.com

Deal Range: $50k+

Website Closers is a flexible industry veteran that stands out by offering online business brokerage for almost any online business model or monetization strategy imaginable. This makes it one of the only marketplaces for buying and selling businesses like SEO firms, online marketing agencies, daily deals and flash sales websites, online wholesalers, distributors, fulfillment centers, and just about anything else under the sun.

• For sellers: Website Closers is one of the only options for sellers with a business falling outside of the usual SaaS/eCom/affiliate model. It is also one of the few brokerages that are willing to step in later in the deal process, such as after the seller has already found a buyer.
• For buyers: As with sellers, Website Closers is one of the only online business brokers with listings that fall outside of the stock-standard online business models. 

Monetization

• Almost anything

Key Points

• Buyer pool: Website Closers connects sellers with a large pool of business buyers. However, being a diverse online business broker that caters to many non-traditional business models, expect their buyer database to be a little less focussed than at some other platforms.
• Track record: Website Closers have brokered over 600 deals at a combined value of over $750M. 
• Deal process: Website Closers are a full-service brokerage that’s willing to intervene at any stage of the deal process. In general, the service is more comprehensive than other platforms and includes additional services like exit strategy consulting.
• Fees: As a bespoke service catering to a diverse client base, fees at Website Closers will need to be negotiated on a per-deal basis. However, for full-service end-to-end brokerage services, expect anything in the range of 6-15% for an average deal size.

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(Featured image by Mart Production via Pexels)

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